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Annual Report 2019

Picture: Kim Lindström

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© The Åland Islands Peace Institute 2020FO Nr 0973709-2

Approved by the board on 11.2.2020

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The World Needs Wise LeadersToday we are living in a complicated situation in the world to say the least. The climate threat is becoming more visible every day, the world’s scientists are almost unequi-vocal in their reports, and the warning signals are clear. Despite this, the world’s leaders at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Madrid in December 2019 did not agree on the targets for the reduction of global emissions, but rather postponed the important decisions until the next meeting in Glasgow in November 2020. Me-anwhile, fires continue to burn in Australia. I’m starting with the climate threat because I’m convinced that it is the greatest threat to world peace in the long run.

The shooting down of a passenger plane that took off from Tehran’s Airport is also a sign of these times, and an unpleasantly clear example of what can happen in the world when tensions arise. Innocent people became victims of nervous militants who could not cope with the tense situa-tion they were in.

In the Nordic countries, with our deeply rooted demo-cratic traditions and strong principles of fundamental human rights, the treatment of the countries’ own citizens, including women and their children, who are in the al-Hol refugee camp has caused strong disagreements and even government crises.

31st January 2020 was also a historic date when the UK left the EU and Brexit became a reality. As Europe’s major peace project, the EU is facing its greatest hardship so far. The consequences of this divorce are very difficult to fore-see, as a great number of long negotiations still await. Ho-

pefully it will be possible to find functional relationships so that the negative consequences of Brexit become as small as possible. From the Ålandic point of view, it will be interes-ting to follow the developments in Scotland, Northern Ire-land, and Gibraltar. These three areas are actively seeking their own future, both in terms of their constitutional status and their relationship with the EU.

In this situation, it is important to highlight positive events, too. One such occasion was the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize being awarded to Ethiopia’s Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed. The reasoning was his long-standing efforts to ac-hieve peace and international co-operation, and particularly his decisive initiative to resolve the border conflict with neighbouring Eritrea. Peace, democracy, and reconciliation have been key words in his work.

The annual Kastelholm talks under the patronage of former President of Finland, Tarja Halonen, are becoming increasingly timely and significant. Last year’s themes were democracy, participation, and civil society. We who live on Åland take many things for granted, but when we see developments globally, in Europe, and even in the Nordic countries, we realise that we have every reason to defend and safeguard our democratic society. The Peace Institute’s work is thus becoming increasingly important and the Kastelholm talks is an event that strengthens our ability to foster and promote democracy, peace, and reconciliation.

Chair of the Board, Roger Nordlund

Foreword of the Chair of the Board Photo: Kim Lindström

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The Joy of Working Together

Much of the time and effort we spend on planning and preparing a task never becomes visible to those who only see the result. Yet, we all know that a sewing project can-not succeed if the measurements are not taken attentively and the materials are not chosen with care. A house reno-vation will not be sustainable unless one has scraped and cleaned up the old layers, and selected the appropriate new materials. All of this takes time.

Nowadays, we are in a hurry with most of our endea-vours. We are in a hurry in our private lives and we are also in a hurry in public affairs. Constantly having a lack of time is a challenge for participatory democracy and for decision-making that is based on knowledge. To be in a hurry and to focus only on surface-level aspects and on what can be easily calculated in numbers is a bad idea in the production of good research also.

The year 2019 left us with mixed feelings. Many years of hard groundwork on building good partnerships on Åland, in the nearby regions, and internationally gives results. Under the guidance of the Institute’s Board of Directors and Research Council and in co-operation with individuals and relevant organisations, the Åland Islands Peace Institute has created both a solid knowledge base and rewarding exchanges. The Åland Islands Peace Institute’s expertise and credibility are shown in the keen public interest for the Kastelholm talks on peace, where the 2019 theme was “De-mocracy, participation, and the role of civil society”. The Institute’s relevance is also shown in the widespread partici-pation in our regular lunch seminars, in articles published

in reputable international journals, in requests for co-ope-rations, and, not least, in the countless visits through which visitors learn about the different elements and aspects of the Åland example. We also see the results of many years of hard collective work in the increasing number of invita-tions to participate in seminars, meetings, and discussions outside of Åland. The Peace Institute exports knowledge and experiences of Åland to the world and imports insights from the wider world to Åland in order to promote peaceful social developments locally and internationally.

At the same time, we see how the importance of local and international co-operation is being questioned, how our societies are becoming polarised, and how reality is being described through oversimplification. Haste, isola-tion, nationalism, and contempt for independent research are dangerous ingredients for democratic development and for peace. Therefore, I’m pleased that the Sustainable Knowledge Development Network on the Åland Islands (known as the KUT Network) has continued its effective co-operation, that the Åland Mediation Office has been strengthened, and that the work on an upcoming edited volume on democracy resulted in stimulating and rewar-ding discussions within the co-operative research group in 2019. Co-operation and knowledge take time but give good results. Joy in the (co)work, the thirst for knowledge, and the desire for a more peaceful world are our constant driving forces.

Sia Spiliopoulou Åkermark, Director

The year showed that groundwork takes time but yields good results. The year brought excit-ing meetings and co-operations for the Peace Institute and brought about new knowledge.

The Director’s words on the past year

Director Sia Spi-liopoulou Åkermark

(top left) together with Organisational

Secretary Miriam-Lukola (bottom left)

and former colleague Justina Donielaite in

Vilnius, Lithuania.

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The Åland Islands Peace Institute is a foundation led by a Board that is appointed on a two-year mandate. In April 2019, Board elections were held for the term of office from April 2019 until April 2021. Two members elected to abstain from re-election, Vice Chairman Ulla Backlund and Board member Kenneth Gus-tavsson. Board member Christian Pleijel resigned earlier during the term of office. Hence, there was a need for three new mem-bers. At the nomination committee’s proposal, Rector Marcus Koskinen-Hagman, Ambassador Anders Lidén, and Researcher Hanna Ojanen were elected to the Board. Roger Nordlund con-tinued as Chairperson and Katarina Fellman was elected Vice-chairperson.

The board met five times during the year and the new members were acquainted with the Peace Institute’s research and other acti-vities. The new Board members have generously contributed their knowledge, experience, and contacts.

New Members of the Board

Board meeting. Fom the left: Hanna Ojanen, Anders Lidén, Lia Markelin (online), Chair Roger Nordlund, Nina Fellman, Katarina Fellman and Marcus Koskinen-Hagman.

Chairperson of the Research Council Gunilla Herolf

The Research CouncilThe Research Council decides on the scholarly direction of the Peace Institute, and also ensu-res the quality of the Peace Institute’s research. In 2019, the Research Council consisted of Gunilla Herolf (Chair), PhD, expert on issues of European Integration and Security Policy; Kjell-Åke Nordquist, Professor of International Relations; and Mikael Wigell, Associate Pro-fessor and Programme Director of the Global Security research programme at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs in Helsinki. The Director participates in the Council’s work, and the Council is assisted by Research Coordinator, Petra Granholm. The Research Council reviews and guides the development of the Journal of Autonomy and Security Studies

(JASS). During the year 2019, the Research Council held two meetings.

The framework for research at the Åland Islands Peace Institute is defined in the research programme that was most recently adopted for the years 2018-2021. The research has a central position in the activities of the Peace Institute. The research is conducted in-house and in co-operation with international networks of resear-chers and institutions. The focus of the Peace Institute’s research is on issues of autonomy, minorities, and security, with Åland and its spe-cial status as a starting point. The Peace Institute provides knowledge and analysis, and also serves as a meeting point and a space for dialogue within its areas of knowledge.

Members of the BoardRoger Nordlund, Chair of the Board, Member of the Parliament of Åland, former Deputy Premier and Finance Minister of the Åland Government, former the Speaker of the Parliament of Åland.Katarina Fellman, Vice Chair of the Board, Di-rector at Statistics and Research Åland (ÅSUB).Nina Fellman, Member of the Parliament of Åland, former Minister of the Åland Government, former Editor-in-chief of the newspaper Nya Åland.Marcus Koskinen-Hagman, PhD in Theology and Religious Studies, Rector of Åland’s Lyceum.Anders Lidén, Ambassador and Senior Official at the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, former Permanent Representative of Sweden to the United Nations in New York.Göran Lindholm, lawyer, former President of the insurance company Ålands ömsesidiga 1999-2015.Lia Markelin, PhD in Social Sciences from Brad-ford University in England, Research Co-ordinator at the think tank Magma in Helsinki.Hanna Ojanen, Associate Professor in Internatio-nal Politics at the University of Helsinki.

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The Peace Institute’s Research

In 2019, research took place mainly within the framework of the following projects:

An edited volume on democracyThe Director initiated a network of authors working on an edited volume on the development and conditions of democracy on Åland. This project brings together thirteen authors and researchers with some connection to Åland or Ålandic affairs and from various branches of science, including three members of the Institute’s staff. The work on this project strengthens the research environment on Åland and contributes to the development of knowledge at the Institute and the Åland Islands. The group of resear-chers met twice in 2019 and several texts are already well-advanced. The Institute’s researchers are writing about the rule of law and multilevel legal dispute resolution (Sia Spilio-poulou Åkermark), the internationali-sation of Åland over time (Susann Si-molin), and mediation on a restorative basis as an opportunity for democratic participation (Petra Granholm). The Peace Institute is co-operating with the Åland Museum in designing the volume in a manner similar to the one that led to the publishing of “Outpost, Land in Between, Bridge” (2009).

The Åland example in international conflict resolutionThe “Åland example”, which consists of three components - autonomy, the protection of the local language and culture, and demilitarisation and neutralisation - has proven to be an interesting source of inspiration and tool in conflict resolution processes in many parts of the world. In 2019, the Peace Institute’s member of staff, Susann Simolin, continued to syste-matically map where in the world and in what ways the Åland example has been used.A report in English will be published in early 2020 within the framework of the Peace Institute’s report series.

Research has a central position in the Peace Institute’s overall activities. Research, ana-lysis, education, dialogue, and information constitute a whole that contributes to peaceful social development, conflict resolution and conflict prevention.

A research project into the EU’s significance for ÅlandÅland will soon have been part of the European Union for twenty-five years. The Peace Institute has been commissioned by the Åland Govern-ment to research the significance of EU membership for Åland in co-operation with ÅSUB. The work commenced in autumn 2019 and will mainly be carried out during 2020. The project will be completed in 2021, and the results will be presented in seminars and interim reports.

PublicationsIn addition to the articles published in the journal JASS, the members of staff have published a number of both sci-entific and popularised articles during the year. Sia Spiliopoulou Åkermark published the article “Multiple Paths to Territorial Autonomy: Examples and Conceptual Underpinnings” in a collection edited by Olgun Akbulut and Elçin Aktoprak, Minority Self-Government in Europe and the Middle East (Brill, 2019). Research results from the research project “Demilita-risation in an increasingly militarised world” were published and presen-ted locally and internationally. Pirjo Kleemola-Juntunen has published the book The Åland Strait (Brill publisher,

2019). Spiliopoulou Åkermark has published the article “Old Rules and New Technology: Drones and the De-militarisation and Neutralisation of the Åland Islands” (in Finnish Yearbook of International Law, vol. 25, 2014-2015 published in 2019). Spiliopoulou Åkermark, Pirjo Kleemola-Juntunen and Tatu Hyttinen wrote together the article “Life on the Border: Dealing with Territorial Violations of the Demilitarised and Neutralised Zone of the Åland Islands” which was publis-hed in the Nordic Journal of Interna-tional Law 2019 (vol. 88, Issue 2).

The research network RECASTThe Institute continues to participate in the research network RECAST (Reappraising Intellectual Debates on Civic Rights and Democracy in Europe), which is led by the Univer-sity of Málaga and is supported by the EU’s Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) programme. An interdisciplinary doctoral course was organised within this network in Athens in November on the theme “Politics, the rule of law and facets of democracy”. Twenty doctoral stu-dents from different parts of Europe participated, together with seven lecturers from different scientific disciplines.

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n 28.2 A visit from highly commit-ted students from the sustainability course of Åland’s upper secondary school. The activities of the Insti-tute and the Mediation Office were presented along with their work for sustainability.n 14.3 A visit from around fifty students from Uppsala University’s Department of Peace and Conflict Re-search, led by Professors Isak Svens-son and Peter Wallensteen.n 29.-30.3 The Institute hosted a mee-ting of Nordic peace organisations in Mariehamn, Åland on the initiative of the Peace Union of Finland. The meeting focused on the importance of the Nordics without weapons of mass destruction.n 27.5 A visit from Moldovian researcher, Elena Cuijuclu, who is a guest researcher at the Tampere Peace Research Institute (TAPRI).n 7.6 A visit from Dr Kevin Sobel-Read, Senior Lecturer, Deputy Dean, Director of Teaching and Learning, Newcastle Law School, Faculty of Business and Law, the University of Newcastle, Australia.n 10.6 The Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Sweden, Kerstin Lund-gren, and Secretary-General of the Parliament of Sweden, Ingvar Matts-son, visited the Parliament of Åland and the Peace Institute. The visit was also attended by the Ambassador of Iceland to Finland, Árni Þór Sigurðs-son, and Honorary Consul for Iceland on Åland, Nils Erik Eklund.n 14.6 Lena von Knorring from the Åland Office in Helsinki came to visit with ten international ‘alumni journalists’, i.e. journalists who have previously worked in Finland at the invitation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.n 18.6. Benjamin Ulbricht, a priest of the Swedish Church in Gotland, visited the Institute in order to discuss

Meetings with Researchers, Diplomats and StudentsThe Peace Institute hosts diplomats, journalists, researchers, and public authorities from near and far who want to know more about the Åland example and the Institute’s research and activities. Below are some examples.

16.9.2019 A visit from by Kin Yuen Ip, Legislative Councillor of Hong Kong, whose areas of interest include relations between autonomous territories and the state.

16.-17.9.2019 The Political and Security Committee of the Council of the European Union visited Åland and were introduced to the research on Åland example by Sia Spiliopoulou Åkermark. Around seventy ambassadors from the Member States participated in the event.

plans for a peace centre on Gotland.n 3.9. Employees of the Swedish Agency for Public Management were given an introduction to the Åland example.n 5.9. The Åland example was presen-ted to a group from the Turku United Nations Association (TYKy), which is a national and politically neutral non-profit youth organisation.n 5.9. A visit from members of the Parliament of Sweden’s Committee on the Constitution.

n 19.9. A visit from the Swedish-Ålandic Friends’ Association of the Parliament of Sweden.n 3.10. The Peace Institute’s staff met members of the PRO Stockholm, who visited Åland at the invitation of Sweden’s Consul General Claes Ham-mar. The tour was guided by Ambas-sador Anders Lidén, who is also a Board member of the Peace Institute.

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Autonomy, Borders and Sustainability Discussed in Vienna, Gibraltar and Athens

n 14.2 Director of the Peace Institute and Associate Professor in Internatio-nal Law, Sia Spiliopoulou Åkermark, gave a lecture entitled: “Minorities on the Border between International and Constitutional Law” at the Stockholm Centre for International Law and Justice at Stockholm University.

n 15.2 Sia Spiliopoulou Åkermark attended a symposium at the Swe-dish Collegium for Advanced Study (SCAS) at Uppsala University. Her presentation was entitled “Universa-lity and Particularity in Law - What Ways Ahead?”.

n 16.4 Head of Information, Susann Simolin, held an internal seminar on her research on the Åland example at

Eurac Research in South Tyrol, Italy. The seminar concluded a two-week research stay at the Institute for Mi-nority Rights, with funding from the EU programme Horizon 2020 COST Action RECAST.

n 2.5 Research Coordinator, Petra Granholm, presented the Åland Ex-ample and the sustainability network via Skype for the seminar “Law, Arts and Island Resilience: A Journey Starting in Uist”, which was organi-sed in Glasgow.

n 6-7.5. Sia Spiliopoulou Åkermark participated in the European Regio-nal Forum on Education, Language, and the Human Rights of Minorities organised at the European Parlia-

ment in Brussels on 6th and 7th May. The forum was organised to provide knowledge and inspiration to the UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues.

n 3-4.6 Sia Spiliopoulou Åker-mark participated in the conference “Versailles and Rights: A Centenary Appraisal” at the invitation of the Helsinki Collegium of Advanced Study and Professor Jeremy Smith. Sia talked about “The Åland Islands Solution in Context”.

n 4-5.7 Sia Spiliopoulou Åkermark participated in a workshop in Leipzig on a project for the handbook “Inter-national Law and History: Eastern Europe in a Global Perspective”,

The Peace Institute staff participate in seminars on request held by universities, authori-ties and organisations around the world.

8-9.11 Sia Spiliopoulou Åkermark spoke about “Language rights and human rights, with special respect to language legislation in Finland and Åland” at the conference “Sprachenvielfalt in Europa: Fallbeispiel Finnlandschwedische Kultur und Sprache”, organised by the University of Vienna through Professors Johanna Laakso and Mikko Kajander at the Institut für Europäische und Vergleichende Sprach- und Literaturwissenschaft. The Embassy of Finland in Vien-na and Ambassador Pirkko Hämäläinen gave their support for the conference and held a reception in the residence. From left to right: Sia Spiliopoulou Åkermark; Sören Lillkung, Executive Director of the Swedish Cultural Foundation; Birgitta Busch, University of Vienna; and Yvonne Bindrim, University of Greifswald.

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On 15-19.1 Susann Simolin participated in the conference “100 years after the Paris Peace Conference - A comparison of four regions” organised by the Parliament of the German-Speaking Community in Belgium. The seminar dealt with four regions where the boundaries changed with new linguistic minority situations as a result: Åland, Alsace, South Tyrol, and the German-speaking community in Belgium. Simolin gave a lecture entitled “The Åland Islands and their particular position in Finland”.

3-5.11 Susann Simolin (right in the first row) attended a conference in Moldova organised by Eurac Research and Crisis Management Initiative (CMI) entit-led “Advancing Good Governance through Decentralisation, Autonomy and Accommodation of Minority Groups”. She spoke with Elisabeth Alber, Senior Researcher at Eurac Research on the theme “Relations with the Centre: The Autonomies of South Tyrol and the Åland Islands”.

Petra Granholm stayed in the office and participated by using the video conferencing platform, Zoom, in the first virtual island summit for islanders in October 2019 with a presentation on the theme “A bottom-up, inside-out sustainability process on the Islands of Peace”.

in which she offers perspectives on minorities, self-governance, and the 1856 Convention on Demilitarisa-tion. The project is run by the Leibniz Institute for History and Culture of Eastern Europe (GWZO).

24-26.8 Petra Granholm talked about the Åland example and peace and held a workshop at the ReGenera-tion 2030 Summit “Changing climate, changing lifestyles” organised on Åland.

12-14.9 Sia Spiliopoulou Åkermark participated in the annual conference organised by the European Society of International Law. This year the theme was “Sovereignty: A concept in flux?”. The discussions took place at the University of Athens.

26-28.9 Board member, Göran Lindholm, and Head of Informa-tion, Susann Simolin, participated in a symposium on borders at the Gibraltar Garrison Library. Around ten researchers presented their work on borders in relation to, among other things, Gibraltar, Northern Ireland, migration, and Brexit. Göran presen-ted Åland’s autonomy and Susann talked about how the position and function of the Åland borders - which have changed throughout history - are linked to and have effects on, for example, the division of power and the relationship between autonomy and the state, the use and limitation of military violence, the protection of language and culture, and percep-tions of identities. Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Åland, Gun-Mari Lindholm, also participated in the symposium.

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Kastelholm Talks on Democracy, Parti-cipation, and the Role of Civil Society”Democracy, Participation, and the Role of Civil Society” was the theme of this year’s Kas-telholm talks which took place on 28th March.

Photos: Patricia HolmbergFrom left to right: the patron of the talks, former President Tarja Halonen; the speakers Pär Stenbäck, Maud Olofsson,

Göran Djupsund, and Li Bennich-Björkman; and the moderator, Sia Spiliopoulou Åkermark.

The Kastelholm talks began with a panel discussion in Kastelholm Castle. The members of the panel were the patron of the talks, former President Tarja Halonen; former Member of the Parliament of Sweden, former Minister for Enterprise of the Government of Sweden, and former Deputy Prime Minister of the Go-vernment of Sweden, Maud Olofsson; former Member of the Parliament of Finland, former Party Chairperson of the Swedish People’s Party, and former Minister of the Government of Finland, Pär Stenbäck; Professor of Eloquence and Government affiliated with the Institute for Russian and Eu-rasian Studies at Uppsala University,

Li Bennich-Björkman; and Professor of Political Science, Election Com-mentator on Finnish-Swedish tele-vision, and former Principal of Åbo Akademi University in Vaasa, Göran Djupsund. The discussion was mode-rated by the Peace Institute’s Director, Associate Professor Sia Spiliopoulou Åkermark.

The second part of the Kastel-holm talks consisted of a roundtable discussion at the nearby restaurant Smakbyn. Former President Halonen, Maud Olofsson, Per Stenbäck, Göran Djupsund, and Li Bennich-Björkman participated in this discussion, which began with two commentators sha-ring their reflections of the discussion

in Kastelholm Castle. The commenta-tors were PhD student in Educational Sociology at Uppsala University and Researcher of Swedish higher educa-tion, Moa Lindqvist; and Political Sci-entist and Acting Director at Save the Children on Åland, Lotta Angergård. The discussion was moderated by the Peace Institute’s Head of Information, Susann Simolin.

This year’s theme, “Democracy, participation, and the role of civil society”, is important to discuss at a time when many feel that democracy is being questioned or weakened. The 2019 Kastelholm talks addres-sed questions such as: What is the essence of democracy today? Who

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are the most important guardians of democracy? What makes a demo-cracy vital and sustainable? How can democracy and globalisation come together? What role can civil society play? The purpose of the Kastelholm is to contribute to the nuances of ongoing peace and security policy debates by providing the opportunity for discussions on long-term perspec-tives and broader contexts beyond day-to-day phenomena and acute crises. The talks should be a forum for dialogue rather than debate, where knowledgeable speakers are given the freedom and time to reflect together. The roundtable discussion provides the opportunity for the public to

meet and discuss with politicians and experts in a relaxed environment. Through the talks, the Åland Islands Peace Institute aims to highlight a peace perspective by identifying and discussing solutions and opportuni-ties for peaceful coexistence between countries and regions.

The 2019 Kastelholm talks were carried out with support from the Åland Government, the Parliament

of Åland, the Consulate General of Sweden in Mariehamn, the Nordic In-stitute on Åland (NIPÅ), the Swedish-Finnish Cultural Foundation, and the Åland Convention Bureau.The talks at the castle were livestrea-med in co-operation with NIPÅ, and can be viewed at www.peace.ax. Summaries on the content of the conversations can also be found on this website.

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The ongoing debate on the EU’s so-called democratic deficit has brought various types of change within the Union. In an open lunch seminar entitled “Does the EU suffer from a democratic deficit?”, Rosas discussed the criticism of the democratic deficit and the EU’s decision and ability to meet it. Later in the day, Rosas spoke at a symposium on “EU law and national law: two sides of the same coin?” for an audience mainly compo-sed of officials and politicians in the provincial government and legisla-ture. Among other things, he touched on the question of how the relation-ship between EU law and national legal systems looks today, and how

the position of autonomous regions is affected by this relationship.

It was the third consecutive year that the Peace Institute had organised an autumn symposium. In 2018, the symposium “Collective Security, a Rules-Based International Order and the Åland Islands” was organised, as well as the open seminar “Demilita-risation and trust - the cases of Åland and Svalbard”. On the symposium’s 25th anniversary in 2017, the Peace Institute organised the symposium “Åland - a future perspective”.

2019’s symposium marked the start of the research project into the significance of EU membership for Åland, which the Åland Government

commissioned the Peace Institute to carry out in co-operation with ÅSUB. During Allan Rosa’s visit to Åland, it was announced that he will be an Adviser for this EU project.

Allan Rosas is a retiring judge at the European Court of Justice (2002-2019), and a former Adviser and Deputy Director-General of the European Commission Legal Service of (1995-2001). Prior to these Euro-pean assignments, he was the Armfelt Professor of Constitutional and In-ternational Law, among other things. The European Commission recently appointed Allan Rosas as one of the three members of its Independent Ethical Committee.

EU Judge Allan Rosas Gave Lectures and Project Advice

On 12th November, Allan Rosas visited Åland and the Peace Institute just before leaving his post as a judge at the European Court of Justice. At an open lunch seminar and a sym-posium, an invited Åland audience had the opportunity to learn about his long experience of legal issues in Finland and the EU.

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On 23rd January, the first speaker of the year was Professor Emeritus of Political Science, Jan Sundberg, who talked about “The qualities of the Åland Autonomy” based on current research. On 12th March, the theme was more global, when Information Officer at the Department of Peace and Conflict Research at Uppsala University, Marie Allansson, gave a lecture entitled “Is the world more peaceful or more violent?”. Allanson’s lecture presented current trends regarding armed conflicts and organised violence with the Uppsala conflict data programme as a starting point, which is a data collection programme that focuses on both organised violence and work for peace.

On 8th May, a seminar was held by an employee of the Peace Institute, an active liberal politician, and the repre-sentative of Åland on the Board of the Working Committee of the Swedish Assembly of Finland, Jonny Ander-sen. Jonny gave a presentation on the Swedish language in Finland and the Swedish Assembly of Finland, which is a statutory organisation whose task is to support and strengthen the position of the Swedish language and culture in Finland. The Swedish Assembly was founded in 1919 and thus celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2019.

On August 29th, Doctor of Political Research from Åbo Akademi and Associate Professor of Political Re-search at Ilisimatusarfik / University of Greenland, Maria Ackrén, spoke about “Paradiplomacy in the North Atlantic and Arctic”. Paradiplomacy has become a strategy for autono-mous territories to have their voices heard in international contexts. Pa-radiplomacy means that autonomous territories have their own represen-tatives abroad for their own foreign

used by state or non-state actors to achieve specific goals - often in a grey zone between war and peace.

The last speaker of the year was for-mer EU judge Allan Rosas, who spoke at both an open lunch seminar and a symposium for an invited audience, as mentioned in the previous page.

Paradiplomacy, Economics, and Hybrid Threats on the Lunch MenuThe seven open lunch seminars organised in Mariehamn throughout 2019 served a varied menu, with themes ranging from the local to the global, as well as the connections between them.

policy, despite being subordinate to metropolitan powers.

On 9th October, the next speaker was Doctor of Economic Sciences from the Hanken School of Econo-mics, Associate Professor in Econo-mics at Åbo Akademi University, and former Rector of the Åland University of Applied Sciences, Edvard Johans-son. His presentation was based on economic research about globalisa-tion and digitalisation among other things, as well as the unpublished results about the relationship between the Ålandic and Finnish economies.

On 24th October, UN Day, the Director of the Peace Institute, Sia Spiliopoulou Åkermark, gave a lecture entitled “Hybrid threats - how do they affect the demilitarisation and neutralisation of Åland?”. Hybrid th-reats have been defined as a mixture of conventional and unconventional methods (i.e. diplomatic, military, economic and technical) that can be

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During the Alandica Debatt event, the Sustainable Knowledge Development Network of Åland held three panel discussions for the “Evening of Knowledge”, where the significance of knowledge and research to society was discussed.

Discussions on the Significance of Research at “Evening of Knowledge”

On the evening of 10th June, three different panels gathered in Alandica Culture and Congress Centre’s foyer during the widely attended event and were accompanied by beautiful music performed by Richard and Milton Palmer.

The panel discussions focused on the themes “Democracy and the envi-ronment - between sense and sensibi-lity”, “Technology and society”, and “What knowledge?”, which acquain-ted the audience with the wide range of different kinds of research that contribute to Åland’s society.

Contributing researchers and experts were: Katarina Fellman, ÅSUB; Mats Löfström, Member of the Parliament of Finland; Torbjörn Åkermark, Instruments For Intel-ligent Control (INFICON); Erika Boman, Åland University of Applied Sciences; Florian Haug, Åland Uni-versity of Applied Sciences; Marcus Koskinen-Hagman, Åland’s upper secondary school; Annette Höglund, Optinova; Niklas Stenbäck, the

Åland Government; Agneta Eriks-son Granskog, Åland University of Applied Sciences; and Janne Holmén, Uppsala University. The moderators were Sia Spiliopoulou Åkermark, the Åland Islands Peace Institute; Jouko Kinnunen, ÅSUB; Petra Granholm, the Åland Islands Peace Institute; and Hanna Hagmark, the Åland Maritime Museum. The Evening of Knowledge is organised by the KUT Network, which was initiated in autumn 2018 by the Director of the Peace Institute. ÅSUB, the Åland University of App-lied Sciences, the Åland Maritime Museum, and the Åland Government participate in the network together with the Åland Islands Peace Insti-tute. The network met four times during 2019 and participated in three additional meetings and seminars on knowledge development and research on Åland. The network aims to strengthen the research environment on Åland and reinforce interest and understanding in the research com-munity.

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The Peace Institute’s electronic journal JASS was publis-hed in a third volume in 2019. The first issue was publis-hed in June with two peer-reviewed articles, one by Hasan Akintug on the rhetoric of the Finns Party on the Swedish language in Finland, and the other by Mauricio Romero Vidal and Juan David Niño on the participation of Afro-descendant and indigenous peoples in the constitutional process in Colombia.

The second issue focuses on autonomy. It includes a

peer-reviewed article by Maria Ackrén and Jan Sundberg on the role of regional parties in Nordic autonomies. It also features two research notes, one by Felix Schulte, who conducted a bibliometric analysis of autonomy research, and the other by Marc Röggla, who wrote about South Tyrol’s participatory process for consensus around the autonomy convention. In addition, this issue includes a commentary on the demonstrations in Hong Kong by Jennifer Eagleton.

Autonomy, Language Issues and Participation in E-journal JASS

The English language online course “Territorial Auto-nomy as a Tool for Diversity Management: Lessons from the Åland Example”, which was held in autumn 2018, was completed in January 2019. The thirteen enrolled students of the course came from all over the world, namely eleven different countries.

The aim of the course is to provide participants with a broad academic framework for discussing territorial autonomy from different perspectives, with a basis in the Åland example and its components. The course seeks to increase knowledge of and interest in territorial solutions and the Åland example, and to convey the research results of the Peace Institute and others. The course, which is de-livered in English, consists of five modules and discusses self-governance in relation to, among other things, self-determination, minority rights and identity, regional inte-

gration, and conflict resolution. The relationship between self-governance and Åland’s demilitarisation and neutrali-sation is also interactively presented and discussed during the course. The course consists of written and audiovisual sources, recorded lectures, and electronic discussions.

The course was again delivered in co-operation with the Åland Open University. Participants who complete all the requirements receive five ECTS academic credits. The work for the development of the course throughout 2019 has included researching and adapting to a new digital learning platform, as Fronter was taken out of service at the end of 2019. Therefore, there is a need for new appropriate digital learning platform at the university level on Åland. Accor-ding to the Peace Institute’s evaluations made over the past years, there is also a need in the future for similar courses at a more basic level as well as in the Swedish language.

Developing the E-course on Territorial Autonomy

Two new issues of the Peace Institute’s open, electronic, and peer-reviewed Journal of Autonomy and Security Studies (JASS) were published in 2019.

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Justina Donielaite on Nendre’s anniversary.

Mediation is a free, statutory service, open to everyone in Finland. Since 2016, the responsible authority for mediation in crime and certain disputes in Finland has been the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL). Through an agreement with THL, the Åland Islands Peace Insti-tute has been commissioned to provide mediation services on Åland through the Åland Islands Mediation Office. The mediation can be seen as complementary to legal processes and a way for the parties to have a dialogue and gain an understanding of the origin and consequences of events.

As of May 2019, the Åland Islands Mediation Agency’s part-time service is shared between Petra Granholm, Mediation Manager; and Mirjam Lukola, Mediation Supervisor, by thirty percent and twenty percent respectively. Twelve mediators were active throughout 2019, and the number of initiatives submit-ted to the mediation office was fifty-nine, of which the majority proceeded to mediation.

In January, the voluntary mediators participated in the Swedish-speaking mediation day in Turku in order to continue training and meet other Swedish-speaking mediators in Finland. Staff from the mediation office regularly attended meetings or-ganised by THL both digitally and in person. Through an annual meeting that led to better communication with police and prose-cutors, the number of cases at the mediation office increased.

The regular mediator meetings deepened the mediators’ knowledge of restorative justice, mental health, and violence in close relations-hips. Guests from Victim Support Finland, the addiction centre, and Folkhälsan’s Family Counselling were also invited to the mediator meetings. The Peace Institute’s staff have also met the ‘Fälterna’ local youth workers and staff from? the Boost youth centre, and they gave a lecture for the students of the social field at Åland’s vocational school in order to disseminate information on mediation.

Through mediation, the parties in a criminal case or dispute are given the opportunity to own their conflict and find a solution themselves through constructive discussions with the help and support of voluntary, trained, and impartial mediators.

The Mediation Office

Nendre Turned 20Nendre is a non-profit civil society-based kindergarten and after-school activity centre in Vilnius, Lithuania. Honorary Chairman of the Åland Islands Peace Institute, Barbro Sundback; Sia Spiliopoulou Åkermark; and Mirjam Lukola together with representatives from Emmaus Åland participated in Nendre’s 20th anniversary seminar and the sharehol-ders’ meeting 25th -26th April.

The Åland Islands Peace Institute was a founding member of Nendre and the co-operation has continued ever since. Several donors on Åland and other regions regularly contribute to the kindergarten’s activities.

Swedish-speaking volunteer mediators from all over Finland on continuing education in Turku.

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Fredsfast

The Institute’s Economy 2019

During the financial year, the Åland Islands Peace Institute’s wholly owned subsidiary real estate company, Fredsfast, has carried out planned maintenance work on the front of one of the buildings in accordance with the renovation plan.

In 2019, new tenants have moved into some of the loca-lities. In connection with these changes, some localities have been empty for some time, which is why a certain loss of income occurred.

The Board of Fredsfast AB has been composed of Chairman and CEO of the company, Roger Jansson; Barbro Sundback; and Bror Myllykoski. Erika Sjölund has been the company’s auditor.

The Annual Meeting was held at the Åland Islands Peace Institute on 10th April 2019. At the meeting, Chairperson Roger Jansson resigned, and he was thanked with a small gift as a token of appreciation for his contri-butions to the company for many years.

The basic funding that the Åland Islands Peace Institute receives from the Åland Government provides stability for the Peace Institute’s basic functions. It also enables the development of new projects and applications for additio-nal funding for research and different types of projects and initiatives. Applications are submitted for three times the amount that is ultimately granted to the Peace Institute. For several years, the Peace Institute has emphasised the importance of long-term planning and financing to ensure the sustainability of staff supply and basic functions. The aforementioned are ensured by a multiannual agreement for the years 2018-2021 between the Åland Islands Peace Institute and the Åland Government.

In 2019, the Åland Peace Institute received project sup-port from, among others, the Swedish-Finnish Cultural Foundation, the Åland Cultural Delegation, and the Åland Cultural Foundation. In 2019, the Peace Institute was commissioned with a two-year research project on EU matters in co-operation with ÅSUB.

In 2019, the revenue from specific projects was €70,045. The costs for specific projects during the year amounted to €87,828. The projects include the 2019 Kastelholm talks, and the much appreciated event “Kun-skapens Kväll” (“Evening of Knowledge”), which was arranged in co-operation with the KUT Network.

Office and administration revenue amounted to €235,456, and the cost of office and administration was €216,697. The total costs for 2019 were these €304,525. The total revenue was €305,501. Subsequently, the out-come for 2019 was a surplus of €976.

The foundation has not paid any fees to the mem-bers of the Board. Since the summer of 2018, the Peace Institute’s internal financial administration has been rein-forced with an external accountant who also assists with the financial statements. The Peace Institute’s Finance Council meets approximately once a month to evaluate the Peace Institute’s finances.

Åland government/PAF 223 500 € 73,2 %Other incomes* 40 756 € 13,3 %Institute for Health and Welfare 37 245 € 12,2 %Åland Cultural Foundation 3 000 € 1,0 %Cultural Foundation Swe-Fi 1 000 € 0,3 %Sum 305 501 € 100 %

* Other incomes include sold services, travel cost reimbursements, donations etc.

Core functions 216 697 € 71 %Mediation Office 41 542 € 14 %Kastelholm Talks 31 826 € 10 %E-course on autonomy 8 817 € 3 %Seminars 5 643 € 2 %Sum 304 525 € 100 %

Revenues

Expenses

Ålands landskapsregering/PAF-medel 223 500 € 73,2 %

Övriga intäkter, sålda tjänster, rese-ersättningar, donationer m.m. 40 756 € 13,3 %THL 37 245 € 12,2 %

Ålands kulturstiftelse 3 000 € 1,0 %Kulturfonden Sverige Finland 1 000 € 0,3 %Summa 305 501 € 100 %

Intäkter 2019

Ålands landskapsregering/PAF-medel 223 500 € 73,2 %

Övriga intäkter, sålda tjänster, rese-ersättningar, donationer m.m. 40 756 € 13,3 %THL 37 245 € 12,2 %

Ålands kulturstiftelse 3 000 € 1,0 %Kulturfonden Sverige Finland 1 000 € 0,3 %Summa 305 501 € 100 %

Intäkter 2019

Ålands landskapsregering/PAF-medel 223 500 € 73,2 %

Övriga intäkter, sålda tjänster, rese-ersättningar, donationer m.m. 40 756 € 13,3 %THL 37 245 € 12,2 %

Ålands kulturstiftelse 3 000 € 1,0 %Kulturfonden Sverige Finland 1 000 € 0,3 %Summa 305 501 € 100 %

Intäkter 2019

Grundfunktioner 216 697 € 71 %Medlingsbyrån 41 542 € 14 %Kastelholmssamtal 31 826 € 10 %E-kurs Ålex 8 817 € 3 %Seminarier 5 643 € 2 %Summa 304 525 € 100 %

Kostnader 2019

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From left to right: Research Coordinator, Petra Granholm; Economist and IT Manager Jonny Andersen; Organisational Secretary, Mirjam Lukola; Intern, Karoliina Paakkinen; Director,

Sia Spiliopoulou Åkermark; and Head of Information, Susann Simolin.

Staff and InternsThe year has been characterised by continuity and knowledge development for the staff. During the year, the Peace Institute had a total of seven interns. Four of them did internships related to their university

Unversity interns 2019

Linn Simonsson

Mirjam Granström

Karoliina Paakkinen

Calle Koskela

The Peace Institute has had a low staff tur-nover during the year, which strengthens the continuity and stability of the work. The ex-pertise and the well-being of the staff are of great importance for the results of the Peace Institute’s work. Therefore, Peace Institute also provides an opportunity to develop and acquire knowledge within one’s own field of work. Regular staff meetings, organisational development days, and annual employee discussions reinforce information flows and prevent obstacles and problems.

The Åland Islands Peace Institute aims to enable staff to combine an active and stimu-lating work life with a family life.

The sustainability policy is followed up at least once a year. A new video conferencing facility, facilitates the work of the Board, the Research Council, and the staff by pro-moting contacts with the outside world and with the Peace Institute’s many networks while reducing travel.

Over the year, the Åland Islands Peace Institute had four university interns, one th-rough the Erasmus+ programme, one langu-age intern, and one work intern. In addition, a young Summer Assistant, Jack Hancock, was hired for two weeks in July.

At the beginning of the year, Cultural Geographer, Marielle Fellman, from Örebro University did an internship at the Peace Institute. She was followed by Linn Simons-son from the European Studies Programme at the University of Gothenburg, and International Law student, Mirjam Gran-ström, from the Åbo Akademi University, who both did their internship in the spring. In the autumn, the interns were student of Social Sciences, Karoliina Paakkinen, from Tampere University; and Political History student, Calle Koskela, from the University of Helsinki. In addition, Iccha Bhandari from Nepal did her language internship at the Peace Institute in November.

The Åland Islands Peace Fund was established by the Åland Islands Peace Institute with the purpose of supporting work for peace. As the peace fund grows the interest ac-crued can be awarded for purposes decided by the Board. The peace fund can also be used for special purposes, for example, condolences.

Payments can be made to: Ålandsbanken 660100-12 09 154IBAN: FI22 6601 0001 2091 54BIC: AABAFI22 Nordea 203218 -22 564IBAN: FI70 2032 1800 0225 64BIC: NDEAFIHH

Donations can also be made through www.peace.ax.Donation cards are available in banks and at undertakers on Åland.

The Peace Fund

NewslettersThe Åland Islands Peace Institute sends electronic newsletters to sub-scribers 4-5 times a year. To subscribe, please register at www.peace.ax.

PublicationsThe ”Report from the Åland Islands Peace Institute” series, working papers and selected additional publications, can be downloaded in pdf, free of charge at www.peace.ax. Articles from the e-journal Journal of Autonomy and Security Studies can be downloaded free of charge at www.jass.ax. Other publications can be ordered from books@peace.ax.

VisitsEvery year, the Peace Institute meets with groups or individual politicians, officials, NGOs, journalists etc. with an interest in the international relevance of the Åland Example. The core concept for the introductions includes a presentation of the Åland Example, its history, components and lessons learned as well as the role and the agenda of the Peace Institute. These complimentary presentations last for approximately one hour including discussion, and are offered in Swedish or English. Longer or more specialised presentations can also be arranged for an agreed fee.

LibraryThe Åland Islands Peace Institute’s library holds material on peace and conflict issues, minorities, autonomy, security, gender, human rights, and the Åland Islands and their unique status. The library of the Peace Institute is included within the Åland library database found at www.bibliotek.ax, which allows you to search the catalogues. Items can be borrowed at the Peace Institute with a valid Åland library card and returned to any library on Åland.

The Peace Institute’s broschure is available in English, Swedish, and Russian.

Ålands fredsinstitut Hamngatan 4aX-22100 marieHamn, Åland, finland

tel. +358 (0)18 15570

peace.axPicture: Patricia Holmberg